This invention relates generally to the field of wet process dust collecting systems and more particularly, is directed to a wet method and apparatus suitable for collecting precious metal particles, such as gold dust and the like.
In numerous industries, for example, jewelry making and the manufacture of certain dental appliances, it is the usual practice to grind, shape, buff, polish and otherwise treat articles which are formed of valuable materials, for example, diamonds, gold and other precious metals. Such shaping, grinding and polishing operations are usually performed by utilizing rotating power driven devices in laboratories having equipment suitable for working such precious metals or stones. In the course of these operations, small particles and dust are normally formed of the valuable materials. Unless efficient and usually costly dust control procedures are employed, considerable quantities of costly metals can be lost as dust.
Prior workers in the art have recognized the value of dust resulting from the work and have developed apparatus and methods in attempts to control the dust to thereby recover a greater percentage of the valuable waste materials developed during the manufacturing processes. The devices and methods disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,007,272, 1,254,111, 1,340,213, 1,374,075, 2,111,782, 3,389,797 and 3,651,607 are exemplary illustrations of the attempts of prior workers in the field to produce an acceptable apparatus and method.
However, despite the development efforts of the prior workers in the field, there still has not been produced an entirely satisfactory, relatively inexpensive, efficient collecting device suitable to collect valuable minute particles to minimize the loss of expensive precious metal or other particles, for example, gold dust.